1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle information recording apparatus for recording vehicle information concerning a vehicle such as image information taken by a camera mounted in a vehicle and for recording the vehicle information on a recording medium on the basis of the condition of the vehicle, for example. The invention further relates to a program for allowing a computer to execute functions of the vehicle information recording apparatus, and to a recording medium that sores the program.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a vehicle information recording apparatus of related art, there is known an apparatus in which image information taken by a camera mounted in a vehicle is recorded in a cyclic manner in a first memory such as a ring buffer memory, and in which, in the event of the vehicle being involved in an accident, the accident triggers recording of the recorded information on a plurality of images in a second memory such as a compact flash (registered trademark) card (hereinafter, occasionally referred to as a “CF card”). In the vehicle information recording apparatus as has been described, the information on the plurality of images is recorded in the first memory in an endless manner, so that image information acquired immediately before the accident can also be recorded in the second memory (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2000-006854).
In the vehicle information recording apparatus of related art, in the event of the vehicle being involved in an accident, the accident triggers the recording, in a folder created in the second memory, of the image information which is taken by the camera and recorded in the first memory. In the vehicle information recording apparatus, the image information recorded in the aforementioned first memory is recorded in the second memory with use of electric power supplied from a vehicle power source. However, in the event of the vehicle, for example, being involved in an accident, the electric power supply from the vehicle power source is interrupted due to the impact caused by the accident, whereupon electric power is supplied from a backup power source. And the image information recorded in the aforementioned first memory is recorded in the folder created in the second memory, with use of the electric power supplied from the backup power source.
In the vehicle information recording apparatus of related art, the image information recorded in the first memory in the presence of electric power supply from the vehicle power source and the image information recorded in the first memory in the presence of electric power supply from the backup power source are not distinguished from each other, and are recorded in a mixed manner in the same folder created in the second memory. Accordingly, in the case of displaying, out of information on a plurality of images which is recorded in the folder created in the second memory and then is loaded into a personal computer (PC for short), image information recorded in the first memory in the presence of electric power supply from the backup power source, a user must check all image information loaded into the PC, whereby to search for the image information recorded in the first memory in the presence of the electric power supply from the backup power source. Therefore, this causes such problems that it takes a lot of troubles in the searching operation and that the image information recorded in the first memory cannot be promptly recognized.
In addition, as described above, the image information recorded in the first memory in the presence of electric power supply from the backup power source is the information that the user needs. That is, the switch in electric power supply from the vehicle power source to the backup power source can be considered to be induced by the application, on the vehicle, of an impact by which the connection between the vehicle information recording apparatus and the vehicle power source can be cut off. And in order to grasp the condition of the impact thoroughly, there has been required an apparatus by which the image information recorded in the first memory in the presence of electric power supply from the aforementioned backup power source can be so recorded in the second memory that the user can easily recognize the information thus recorded.